Reports suggest that Russia has been sending explosives, drone components and ammunition to Iran through the Caspian Sea as Tehran works to replenish military stocks depleted during its war with the US and Israel, according to a European government document obtained by NBC News and confirmed by a Western official.An official European government document obtained by NBC confirmed that the shipments include TNT, drone parts and ammunition. Satellite imagery assessed by analysts also suggest that the shipment includes components required for ballistic missile production.The transfers mark a notable shift in Moscow-Tehran military ties: while Iran had previously supplied Russia with large quantities of Shahed-type drones for its war in Ukraine, the latest reporting indicates Russia is now helping replenish Iran’s military capabilities.The Caspian Sea is bordered only by Russia, Iran, Kazakhstan, Turkmenistan and Azerbaijan. Under international convention, the sea falls exclusively within the jurisdiction of those five nations.No Western naval force has legal access to its waters, no allied warship can intercept cargo transiting between Russian and Iranian ports, and ships can turn off their Automatic Identification System transponders without attracting attention. The route sidesteps every chokepoint the United States can monitor.The reported transfers come after Israeli strikes earlier this year targeted Bandar Anzali, an Iranian port on the Caspian Sea that had been identified as part of the military supply route. The Times of Israel had reported that the strikes damaged port infrastructure and Iranian naval assets.
Resupply could help Iran rebuild
Iran’s drone arsenal was significantly used and targeted during the recent conflict, while its missile and military infrastructure also came under sustained US and Israeli strikes.The reported Russian supplies could help Tehran restore parts of its depleted arsenal, although the available reporting does not establish how much material has been transferred or how far Iran’s military reconstruction has progressed.The Iranian Ministry of Defense and Armed Forces Logistics (MODAFL) has gradually begun replacing domestically produced ballistic missile components with parts manufactured in Russia and China. The imported components are believed to be intended primarily for the IRGC Aerospace Force.The transfers are part of broader military cooperation between Iran, Russia and China under Tehran’s “Look East” strategy, with Russia reportedly providing satellite imagery to help Iranian forces monitor military sites and improve targeting. China has also expanded support through BeiDou navigation integration, radar and surveillance systems, and materials linked to solid-propellant missile production, reducing Iran’s reliance on Western technology.How far Iran’s reconstruction has advanced remains outside what Western intelligence is publicly willing to quantify but reports suggest that Israeli intelligence too was surprised at the speed at which Iran was able to build some of its missile stock.Neither Moscow nor Tehran has commented publicly on the specific shipments. Russian officials have consistently denied providing military material to Iran beyond what was previously acknowledged.
